In this blog you can find work written by Secondary and "Bachillerato" students of the Spanish School in London. This includes stories, poems, holiday reminiscences and even book reviews and recommendations. Something for everyone. We hope you enjoy reading them and visit us again soon.

Friday, 29 June 2012

The
black cat talks about a man who has many animals but when he is drunk he hits
them, except his favorite cat: Pluto. Until one day, when the man hit Pluto too and
ended by killing it. A few days later, he found another cat like Pluto and he
took him. He tried to kill the cat but his wife tried to stop him and he took
the axe and …

My
favourite part was when he talks about the black shape in the new white
plaster, You want to know what that means so you want to read more and more.
Also when he took the axe to kill the cat, and instead of killing the cat, he
killed his wife and you want to know ´´why´´ he killed his wife and not the
cat. Also when the police found the body of the wife and the cat was on her
head, you don´t know how the cat arrived there.

This story is about Montresor, who has been insulted and offended, as he says, by Fortunato. That’s why Montresor seeks revenge, gets Fortunato drunk and, by lying to him and then making him know that he will be killed, he fulfils his revenge.

Montresor, the main character, is a man who is mad and cruel, because he just has no reasons to kill this man, he feels no remorse about it and doesn´t care.He is a murderer. He seems to be quite clever because he leads Fortunato to believe his lies and to follow him to be killed.

The language of the story is maybe a little difficult. The writer uses sophisticated words. But apart from some of those words the language is good and easy to understand.

What kept me reading was the fact that I was interested in how Montresor was going to kill Fortunato, and if he really was. Also, I wanted to know what Fortunato actually did to Montresor but the author leaves us intrigued by not telling us. “The Cask of Amontillado” is interesting and intriguing. It scares a bit the way Montresor acts.

I would recommend this story and the whole book to everyone who likes scary stories and murders.

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Cecelia AHERN
(2008), Thanks for the Memories, Harper Collins

By Gloria Martínez
Campos, 1º Bachillerato B, EFL

Joyce Conway
remembers things that she shouldn't. She knows perfectly well the cobbled
streets in Paris, a city that she has never been to. Every night she dreams of
a blond girl whose identity she ignores. Justin Hitchcock has divorced recently
and he is alone and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a seminar about art.
He meets an attractive lady-doctor who convinces him to donate blood. The blood
is the first thing which got away from Justin's heart a long time ago. When
Joyce leaves the hospital, after a terrible accident, with her life and
marriage in pieces, she moves to her father's house. An intense déjà vu
sensation will be their link in this strange and amazing love story.

The part I've liked
the best is when Justin says to Joyce:"I don't understand most things that
happen every day. I do not understand what my daughter admires in her
boyfriend. I do not understand why my brother is not in a vegetative state yet.
I do not understand the weather, my divorce, my job... I do not understand a
lot of simple things, so I don't know why this should be different". I
like it because he is telling her that they must go on with that strange
relationship even if it is different because it doesn't mean that it is going
to be bad.

A book like this
should be read at least once in your life because it shows you that magic can
exist and that destiny guides us in our lives.

Maybe you know the
writer because she also wrote the Best-seller PS: I love you, so if you liked it, she is not going to disappoint
you with this one either.

Devolvemos la visita a Ursuline High WimbledonThe
girls had come to visit 2 Bachillerato EFL students in December. We all had
such a nice time and practised both English and Spanish so much that we
retuned the visit in the spring. Esperamos que las alumnas de español
saquen muy buenas notas en su A-Level exam. . ¡Buena
suerte!

Saturday, 2 June 2012

This is the second book in the trilogy called The Hunger
Games. In this book Katniss and Peta find themselves in the arena for a
second time with winners from the previous years. Katniss and Peta form an
alliance with several contestants. Also, something very interesting happens....
but you will have to read the book to find out.

The genre of this book is sci-fi, adventure.
Also, this book has many themes that the first book has, such as love between
the main characters and teamwork in the arena to stay alive. And, of course,
the suspense between the Districts and Capitol.

Hamitch is more of a main character in
this book because he helps both Katniss and Peeta stay alive and plays a big
role into the rebellion. He is a lonely bachelor who finds comfort in being
drunk most of the trilogy, but when he is not drunk or asleep he proves to be a
great help to everyone. Basically he is lazy and irresponsible but sometimes
can be a good friend and helpful and also develops throughout the trilogy to
better.

The second character
I’m going to analyse is Finnik. Finnik is introduced to us in the second book
and he has a less important role. He is described to be a very handsome and
charming man. He turns out to be a powerful ally in the arena saving Peeta and
everyone’s life many times. He develops into a lovely and powerful person in
the trilogy.

The part I liked the most was when
Katniss and her alliance get ambushed by the carers at the cornucopia. I found
this part very nerve racking and thrilling because you don’t know what will
happen.

I would recommend
this book to 10 and over because I think the story is appropriate for nearly
all age groups and is very well written. I think this is a very good book with
good moments and heart stopping ones. That’s why I would rate this
book and the whole trilogy a 9/10.

Katniss
and Peeta were victorious in winning The Hunger Games. They lived a
long and luxurious life along with their family. They did not have to worry
about food or money. Not until they were both selected yet again to play in the
next hunger event, the quarter-quell, a unique game that
happens every 25 years full of terrible twists.

I would
recommend it to people at an age group of 13 and over. I would suggest that
people read the first book before reading the second one, just to understand
more, even if personally I liked the second book better, as it is more
entertaining, with descriptive adjectives that keep you going for hours. If you
like adventure and sci-fi, then this is the book for you.

It has
some violent contents because it is about people killing others.

Macbeth is coming home from battle when
he meets three witches around a cauldron. They tell him their prophecy: he will
become king and no man born of woman can kill him, unless the forest moves
towards the castle where he lives. Soon after that, the king and his sons
happen to stay at Macbeth's place for a few days. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth
about the prophecy, and she tells him to kill the king in order to become king.
He eventually gives in and does it, the sons run away and Macbeth becomes king.
The sons return with an army that cuts up the forest and walks to the castle
holding the trees in front of them...

This book is an adaptation for children.
I've chosen it because it's easier for me to understand than the real play
Shakespeare wrote. It is also short and simple. I don't really recommend this
book to adults, although it is interesting and intriguing. I my opinion, this
version of Macbeth is an excellent
introduction to Shakespeare's stories and plays for young readers. And it is
also a nice way to learn English, because it doesn’t have many difficult words.
It could be a nice choice if you want to read something helpful, easy and
quick. The sad point is that you cannot see the great and unique Shakespeare's
style in this book.